Lincolnshire hospitals open one-stop foot clinics for people with diabetes

New foot clinics have been introduced in Lincolnshire in a bid to reduce foot amputations in people with diabetes.
The new initiative from Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital provides a one-stop foot clinic where patients can receive screening, scans, check-ups and treatment all in one visit.
This type of delivery helps to reduce the time spent between appointments and for any diagnosed problems to be immediately treated.
Mr Murali Subramaniam, a Vascular Surgeon on the team, said: “Time is so important in these cases and having to wait for a referral to the diabetes foot team or vascular team could make a real difference between a patient keeping their foot or having to have it amputated. It really is that serious.”
People with diabetes have a higher risk of foot problems, with one in 10 expected to develop a foot ulcer at some point in their life. However, keeping good control of blood glucose levels, eating healthily and getting regular exercise can lower this risk significantly.
This new clinic set-up was instigated following statistics that revealed around 25 major amputations (above or below the knee) are performed each year in Lincolnshire because of diabetes. Significantly, 80% of these amputations could be prevented.
The clinics bring together the expertise of a range of healthcare professionals including vascular and orthopaedic surgeons, as well as nurses and cast technicians.
“Despite only running for a few weeks we are confident that we are going to see the new clinics having a positive impact, not only on the state of our patients’ feet but also their overall health,” added Dr Ammar Tarik, a Consultant Diabetologist at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
“By working so closely together we can prevent the risk of amputation – it is as simple as that. It also has a positive impact on our patients’ general health, reduces mortality, reduces the number of hospital admissions, means fewer hospital outpatient visits for patients and improves their quality of life.”